History of Rum

Note – Part of this article was taken from an article that suddenly disappeared from Huffington Post so I added another similar article and the Wikipedia portion.

Although rum’s roots are in the fermented sugarcane drinks of ancient Indochina, its the 17th century distillation in the Caribbean that popularized the drink we know today.

It wasn’t long before the drink became popular in the American colonies and spread to Europe, where it quickly became a staple of both the British Royal Navy and pirates. Watered down rum is a grog and the Royal Navy rum rations were known as a tot.

Rum is still consumed in various naval ceremonies and special occasions in both Europe and the Americas.

Rum Production and Regional Variations

Unlike whiskey, there’s no particular standard for rum production, with the exception of cachaca, which is a Brazilian twist on rum. Whereas rum is typically made from molasses (a sugar byproduct), cachaca is made from fermented sugarcane juice, which contains much more actual sugar.

Only cachaca made in Brazil may carry the name cachaca, and the U.S. recently stopped referring to it as rum.

Rum (or rhum) is made by adding yeast and water to molasses in order to start fermentation. The resulting mixture is then distilled and aged in either steel tanks (light rum) or wooden barrels (dark rum). It’s then filtered and blended to produce the desired consistency.

Like vodka, rums are often flavored, typically opting for tropical flavors, such as pineapple, mango, and coconut. Spiced rum adds spices and flavoring. These flavored rums are an acquired taste only recommended for mixers. Unlike most flavored alcohols, I have to admit I’m a fan of coconut rum.

Popular Rum Drinks

Rum is used in a variety of cocktails, from the basic rum and coke (also known as a Cuba libre, though you better add lime juice before you call it that) to the post-Potter era hot buttered rum.

Cream rums are popularly made by distilleries that are great on their own. Rumchata, based on the Mexican rice drink has also recently been introduced to the American market.

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the classic pina colada, a pineapple/coconut rum drink that can be served blended or on the rocks. Also, whereas tequila mixed with juice, ice, and a salted rim makes a margarita, rum, juice, ice, and a sugared rim is called a daquiri.

Garth Rum Drink

Fruity drinks like rum punch, mai tai, hurricane, and zombie can be found at beaches and tiki bars all over the world. Rum is typically the drink found in those bright, fruity, over the top drinks you see in movies with umbrellas, flowers, fruit, and the works are rum drinks.

Another great (and rather iconic) rum drink is the mojito, a mixture of muddled mint, lime juice, soda, rum.

People will often tell you these fruity and sweet mixed drinks are “girly” drinks, but fuck those people. They’re just insecure douchebags with tiny dicks. There’s nothing unmanly about enjoying fruit, smoothies, or a mixed drink, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.

Flor de Caña is made by Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, S.A, (CLNSA) Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua was founded in 1937. Initially the company sought to develop a large sugarcane plantation so they built their first distillery in Chichigalpa (about 120 km from Managua) in 1890. The company was founded by the great-grandfather of the current president, who moved from Italy to Nicaragua in 1875.

After building the distillery, it was not until 1937 that Flor De Caña was introduced by CLNSA. Grupo Pellas was founded in 1950. It was the first company to distribute the rum, and in 1959 it was first exported to Venezuela, Costa Rica and other Central American countries.

During 1963 and 1965 the plantation in Chichigalpa underwent modernization updates. Eight years later a second distillery was constructed in Honduras. The distillery in Chichigalpa was completely modernized in 1996. The company now sponsors the Flor de Caña Open, an event on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, in addition to international bar-mixing competitions. In 2014, William Grant & Sons took over the distribution of the rum in the US. In Australia the rum is distributed through Vanguard Luxury Brands.

Production

Flor de Caña rum is distilled five times during its production. Each rum is aged in a charred white oak barrel having previously been used to mature bourbon whiskey, and is also created to comply with kosher standards. The company’s rums are aged for up to 25 years. The contemporary line has five premium rums and three super-premium rums. In 2013 the company updated its bottle design, that includes examples of the rum’s award wins and a volcano, intended to represent the volcanic soil of Nicaragua. The rums are distributed in forty-three countries.

Recognition

Flor De Caña is renowned as one of the best rums from Latin America, having won more than 150 international awards since 2000 and has been the most award-winning rum brand during this period. It has captured gold, silver, and bronze medals and has received high recommendations from wine and liquor enthusiasts.